Features Tell, but Benefits Sell

Watch TV tonight and I am certain you will see millions of dollars being wasted by companies advertising product features. It is the same in newspapers, magazines and online. The problem is that customers don’t really care about features; they are far more interested in benefits.

But what’s the difference?

Features can be defined as indisputable characteristics or attributes.
They are components that make up a product or service.

• Foxtel features 100 channels of content – so what?
• Microsoft offers software in the cloud – interesting but what does it mean to me?
• Coles has over 600 stores but I just need one that is convenient!
• Do you really care if your car’s engine is a VVTI or has ESP? Sounds sexy but what’s in it for me?

So what I hear you say!

The car company would be far better off communicating what you get as a result of buying your Honda with a VVTI engine. Is it more power, better fuel economy, longer life or less harm to the environment?

Advantages are better but they are just a half way house. They describe what the features do or doesn’t do. They explain the product or service utility but still do not answer what’s in it for the customer.

For example, my mouse pad has a special gel rest for my wrist. So what? The advantage of having this rest is that it supports the wrist when pointing the mouse reducing the strain on tendons that lead to potential inflammation. Sounds good but what is the end result for the user? The real benefit is more comfort and greater productivity.

See benefits are end result or outcomes that flow to people or stakeholders. They explain how a customer is better off as a result of owning a product. You can’t say ‘so what’ when you are talking about an outcome such as more efficiency, more performance, or more safety.

The key is to distinguish if you are describing the product/service or the outcome? If your statements do not describe outcomes you have not gone far enough and you are still afflicted by feature–itis!